§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what estimate he has made of the number of jobs for sick and disabled people which will be created by the New Deal scheme in Coventry. [33648]
§ Mr. Alan HowarthThe aim of the New Deal for Disabled People is not specifically to create jobs but to explore a range of approaches to identify the most effective ways of helping disabled people and those with long-term health problems to move into work, and to avoid becoming dependent on long-term incapacity benefits in the first place. Until the results of the first year pilots are available it would not be sensible to predict the likely numbers of those who will secure work through this approach either nationally or in a particular locality such as Coventry.